Blog
Safeguarding From Fraudulent Activity
Safeguarding From Fraudulent Activity At any given time, natural disasters are occurring in various locations around the country. These types of situations are ripe for fraudulent activities. Bad actors surface around every corner, and it is imperative that your broker dealer does not become a victim of these criminals. The [...]
The Ultimate Solution for Compliance Management
It has been an exciting year for Securities Compliance Management (“SCM”). The Firm has successfully: Initiated numerous New Membership Applications (“NMAs”) for new firms seeking the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (“FINRA”) approval, Initiated several Continuous Membership Applications (“CMAs”) for existing firms that are planning to undergo a material change in [...]
Broker Dealers and Business Continuity
Is your broker dealer ready for disaster? Across the United States, various areas are facing disasters – fires in Hawaii, hurricanes in the Southeast, and tornadoes across the Midwest. These are just a few of the situations where Business Continuity Plans (“BCPs”) are imperative to be in place and current. [...]
FINRA Encryption Best Practices
Twenty years ago, when all of us worked in the office, the IT department was able to manage a broker dealer’s cyber security fairly well. All of the computers worked off of a main network where various firewalls and malware protection could be maintained on a regular basis. Then comes [...]
Form CRS Observations
Broker dealers, specifically the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), are required to review their firm’s compliance programs and procedures at least annually to ensure that all compliance areas are working in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Financial Industry Regulatory [...]
Exam Observations for New Firms
In March 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released an alert article with some observations that they have seen when examining newly registered firms. Note that these alerts are not rules or regulations of any regulatory authority. However, investment advisory firms and broker dealers can garner many important takeaways [...]